Requested Information in Grant Proposals

In my experience with developing grant proposals, I have found that while headings may vary, Requests for Proposals (RFPs) tend to have common requirements for information. Whether you are preparing a grant proposal for an individual, Foundation or Government Agency, there are certain types of information that are generally required. The following is a list with brief description of common requirements for the contents of a grant proposal:

1. Needs Statements and Problem Statements: A Problem Statement is not the same as a Needs Statement. A Problem Statement clearly identifies the social, financial, economic, physical, community institutional problems that are in critical need of a solution. A problem is something that causes pain and suffering for others. On the other hand, a Needs Statement demonstrates the lack of resources and solutions that are required in order to solve a problem. For example: If Substance Abuse is the problem, then the social isolation caused by Substance Abuse may produce a need for developing skills in socialization.

2. Goals and Objectives: A goal is a general statement about the intent to reduce or eliminate a problem. It summarizes the answer about what the plan is to make the problem go away. Objectives are specific steps that can be measured to help meet the goals. For example the goal could be to prevent youth (ages 18-24) from going to jail for substance abuse related charges. An objective (to meet the stated goal) could be to develop alternative sentencing options for 50 youth arrested for substance use related charges.

3. Project Activities (Implementation/Methodology/Scope of Services): Project activities are generally given in Grant Proposal sections called Implementation, Methodology or Scope of Services. This section details a project design that lays out the plan to meet the goals and objectives. This will clearly describe what will be done and how the activities will be carried out. It will also determine the type of people and resources needed to make the project successful. This documentation should be a walk-through of what clients or participants will actually experience when they participate in your project.

4. Proving Capacity: After the plans to reduce or eliminate a problem have been effectively described, the proposal still needs to prove that the applicant has the ability to make it happen. This section should demonstrate that the applicant has a good idea of what it will take to run the project which includes adequate staffing and resources. The Capacity is the sufficiency of the staffing, resources etc. to make sure that the project produces favorable results.

5. Evaluation Plans: Everyone who receives funds for their projects will be required to prove to what extent their project was beneficial. They have to demonstrate how things have changed as a result of what was done. They will need to collect and report information that provide facts and figures about the effect on the goals, objectives and project implementation. An evaluation allows donors to have a measurable accounting of how impacting their contribution was.

6. Budget & Budget Narrative: A project budget is different from an organizational budget even though both must be considered in a proposal. Many organizations make the mistake of making the project budget the same as the organizational budget. A project proposal budget needs to be complete with details that show calculations about how each cost was determined. A budget narrative is required to describe how expenses are calculated, justified and relative to the stated goals, objectives and project implementation.

7. Abstract : An abstract is a summary of the project that generally includes the points about the Problem and Needs, and overall plan, target population, experience of the applicant and the cost. This is the information that may be used for press releases.

8. Executive Summary: An Executive summary is a more expanded detail that will include a summary of every section in the proposal. Both the abstract and the Executive Summary are developed after a proposal is completed and is generally the first documentation that a reviewer will read.